Boxing Betting – Cotto will have whole city behind him on Saturday

by BetOnline.com on October 23, 2014

After some UFC betting on Saturday afternoon, fight fans can continue the action later that night, when Miguel Cotto tries to defend his WBO welterweight title against Josh Clottey in New York City. The crowd will be largely pro-Cotto, and the offshore sportsbook odds reflect this as Cotto is a massive favorite for those who bet on sports.

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Cotto (33-1) defeated Michael Jennings with a knockout in the fifth round back in February to win the WBO welterweight crown, and he looked eager to make up for his 11th-round loss to Antonio Margarito back in July 2008, when he was knocked out for the first time in his professional career. However, that loss isn’t as bad as it seems, as Margarito may have been wearing an illegal plaster under his gloves. If this was the case, that Cotto stayed up for 11 rounds while taking some vicious shots is truly amazing.

Clottey (35-2-0-1) is no slouch himself, as he defeated Zab Judah for the IBF welterweight title last August. Clottey has also battled Margarito in the past, and while he lost in a 11th-round knockout, he put himself on the welterweight map with his performance. Clottey is not a power puncher, as only 20 of his 35 wins have come by knockout, but he’s disciplined enough to stay away from Cotto’s punches.

Boxing odds have Cotto as a -360 favorite to defend his title, and it is also favored at -285 that the fight will go over 9.5 rounds. But that could be a problem. Clottey hasn’t fought since the Judah fight, and he could be a little rusty in the early going, which sets up perfectly for Cotto. Another reason that Cotto has such a big betting edge is that the fight is at Madison Square Garden, where Cotto is 4-0, and it’s the night before the Puerto Rican Day Parade in the “Big Apple”. Cotto is a Puerto Rican native, and each time he’s fought around this weekend, he’s won due to a massive Puerto Rican crowd getting behind him. This, coupled with Clottey’s rust, should make for a short fight.